Borough of Oxford, PA DESIGN REVIEW GUIDELINES

[Ord. 881, 7/21/2014]

In determining the recommendations to be made to Borough Council concerning the issuance of a certificate of appropriateness, the HARB shall consider those matters that are pertinent to protecting the integrity of the Oxford Borough Historic District, including, as applicable, the preservation of the historical and/or architectural aspect and nature of the building, structure, site, or area that is the subject of the proposed action.

Where rehabilitation is proposed, the HARB shall consider the degree to which the proposed work complies with the most-current version of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Properties and the Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings, United States Department of the Interior.

Where the property is located within the boundaries of the Oxford Borough Business Improvement District, the HARB will give particular weight to "recommended" and "discouraged" design treatments presented in the Oxford Main Street, Inc., Design Guidelines, Vol. 2 (2006), including any amendments thereto, that may be applicable to the proposal for the property. The HARB may also recommend adherence to the OMI Design Guidelines for properties located in other areas of the historic district, as it deems appropriate.

For any proposed new construction of a building or any substantial addition to an existing building, the HARB shall evaluate the following:

The extent to which the proposed construction conforms to existing building setbacks and yard widths predominant within the block where the construction is proposed.

The relationship to buildings in the immediate area with respect to height, width, and materials.

The degree to which the proposed construction respects the established street/sidewalk level character of the historic district and the immediate area.

The degree to which the proposed building's various floors are defined with window openings rather than an unbroken, opaque facade.

In addition, where deemed applicable by the HARB, it shall consider the following factors in making its recommendation on a certificate of appropriateness:

Broad historical values representing the cultural, political, economic, or social history of the Borough.

Significant architectural types that are representative of a certain historical period and a style or method of construction.

The effect of the proposed change upon the general historical and architectural nature of the historic district.

The degree to which the exterior architectural features that can be seen from a public street or way are deemed appropriate, as determined by the HARB, in relation to similar features of contributing buildings or structures in close proximity.

The general design, arrangement, texture, and material of a building or structure and the relation of such factors to similar features of buildings or structures in the historic district. Consideration shall be given but not limited to the following:

(1)

Proportion of Building Front Facade: preserving the relationship between the width of the front of the building and the height of the front of the building.

(2)

Proportion of Openings within the Building: preserving the relationship of width to height of windows and doors.

(3)

Rhythms of Solids to Voids in the Front Facade: preserving the relationship between a recurrent alteration of strong and weak architectural elements, thereby maintaining a rhythm of solids to voids.

(4)

Rhythm of Spacing of Buildings on Streets: preserving the existing rhythm of recurrent or repeated building masses to spaces between each building.

(5)

Rhythm of Entrance and/or Porch Projections: preserving the existing rhythm of entrances or porch projections to maintain a pedestrian scale.

(6)

Relationship of Materials: preserving the predominant materials of the historic district, such as brick, stone, stucco, wood siding, or other material.

(7)

Relationship of Textures: preserving the predominant textures of the historic district; these may be smooth, such as stucco, or rough, such as brick with tooled joints or horizontal wood siding or other textures.

(8)

Relationship of Architectural Details: preserving character-defining architectural details of buildings, including, but not limited to, cornices, lintels, arches, quoins, balustrades and iron work, chimneys, etc.

(9)

Relationship of Roof Shapes: preserving compatible roof shapes, such as gable, mansard, hip, flat, gambrel, or other appropriate roof shapes.

(10)

Walls of Continuity: preserving physical elements that comprise streetscapes, such as brick walls, wrought-iron fences, building facades, or combinations of these which form visual continuity and cohesiveness along the street.

(11)

Directional Expression of Front Elevation: preserving the orientation of structural shapes, plan of openings, and architectural detail that reflect a predominantly vertical or horizontal character to the building's facade.

(12)

Scale: preserving the scale of the built environment created by the size of units of construction and architectural detail that relate to the size of persons; in addition, preserving the building mass and its relation to open space.

(13)

Variations: The HARB may recommend variations in a manner that will be in harmony with the character of other buildings or structures on the street and/or within the historic district.

Any architectural guidelines for construction in the historic district which are published by the HARB to further the description of exterior architectural design criteria shall be approved by resolution of Borough Council.